The Ethiopian Wolf–The Endangered Wolf of the Highlands

Native to the highlands of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian wolf is the world's most endangered canid.

Canis semensis is a critically endangered species of wolf that was once classified as a jackal. Analysis of its mitochondrial DNA show that it is a species of wolf, closely related to wolves, and by extension, domestic dogs.

It’s because they are so closely related to dogs that conserving them is so difficult. These wolves evolved in isolation, rather distant from other canine populations. When humans and their domestic dogs infringe on wolf territory, the wolves have virtually no resistances to canine diseases, like rabies. And these are social animals. One rabid animal can quickly decimate a whole population.

They also can interbreed with domestic dogs and produce fertile offspring, just as coyotes and wolves can. It’s also more common with Ethiopian wolves than with other populations of wild dog, perhaps because the need to find new genes leads female wolves to seek out male dogs.

Here’s an article that gives a good summary of the challenges facing this rare species of wolf.